


The Smuggler and The Scavenger

by TheFaultInMyDucks



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Smuggler Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-07 20:10:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12848622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFaultInMyDucks/pseuds/TheFaultInMyDucks
Summary: Ben Solo is the Resistance's best smuggler. During a boring mission on Jakku he meets Rey, a scavenger with light in her eyes and really weird hair.He could really use a co-pilot.





	1. Chapter 1

Ben wiped the sweat from his brow as he traversed the bustling market of Jakku. He was accustomed to cesspools of crime and poverty like this, but never had he felt such a dirty and intense heat before. Not even on Tatooine, and that place has _two fucking suns_.

  
He was to make contact with Unkar Plutt, and upon confirmation that the junk Lord had the weapons he claimed, would pay him the agreed upon credits and smuggle said weapons back to base. Ben was expecting some basic blasters, most likely some old E-11's scavenged from a fallen Imperial vehicle. He was eager to get this mission over with. Though he loved smuggling and the thrill of exploring, with the recent news of his friend Poe escaping the clutches of The First Order with a defected Storm trooper and returning to the base with information on Uncle Luke, the idea of smuggling a few old blasters seemed boring.

  
Upon approaching the…whatever the hell Unkar was stuffed in, Ben saw an angry looking young woman with three buns in her hair, arguing with Unkar.

  
“A week ago this would have gotten me two portions! Why am I getting only one now?” she seethed.

  
“Prices change. Are you gonna take the portions or not?” Unkar said plainly. “You can starve girl, fine by me”.

  
“I’m going to starve with only one portion!” She exclaimed.

  
Ben chuckled slightly at her courage. From what he understood, all the other scavengers took whatever Unkar gave them. The fact that this short and dangerous looking girl was arguing with the junk Lord was rather amusing.

  
Unkar scoffed at this, and threw another portion down. “Fine, fine! But you better bring me back something good tomorrow!”

  
The girl nodded her head at this, and took the portions. It was then that Unkar noticed Ben.

  
“Ben Solo! Good to see that you're here to take the items off my hands!”

  
“And leave your hands full of credits.” Ben said, faking the old Solo charm.

  
“Exactly!” the junk Lord laughed, motioning for Ben to step forward.  
He did so, and locked eyes with the scavenger girl as she turned to leave. She stared at him, her eyes looking intrigued.

  
Ben gave her his best flirtatious smile he could, he was a Solo after all. She smiled, but continued walking away.

  
“Who's she?” Ben asked.

  
“Huh?” Unkar grumbled as he studied a broken tracking chip “Oh, her name is Rey. Good scavenger, easy to look at too. Annoys the hell outta me though.”

  
Ben nodded slightly. “Where are the items? And, for that matter, what are they?” he asked.

  
“Twelve E-11 series blaster rifles, fifteen A280 series blaster rifles, and three DLT 19D heavy rifles.” Unkar smugly said.

Ben raised his eyebrows at this, shocked at the large and diverse numbers of blaster rifles. He was expecting the E-11’S, but the A280’s and especially the DLT 19D’s were a shock. He was tempted to ask Unkar were he got such a nice haul, but decided against it. In this line of work, asking someone for their source is like asking a woman her weight. It’s rude, and you just don’t do it.

  
“I have to say I'm impressed Unkar. You’re about to earn yourself a lot of credits.”

  
The Junk Lord laughed at this, the noise made Ben sick, but he smiled through it.  
“The items will be delivered to your ship soon. You can transfer the credits to me once you see them for yourself.”

  
“That’s generous of you Unkar, getting soft on me?” Ben joked, slightly perplexed at the turn of events.

  
“No, just hoping you remember me as your contact who got you a nice shipment of weapons when we do…future dealings.”

  
“If you can keep getting your hands on the good stuff, I look forward to our future dealings.”  
Unkar smiled and then waved Ben away. “Alright, now go! You’re holding up the line.”

  
Ben hastily left, not wanting to be near the cretin any longer than he had to. Smuggling for the Resistance was nice, a reliable source of money and adventure, but he often had to associate with less than reputable members of society. Though who was he kidding? He was a less than reputable member of society.

  
“Why are you buying all those blasters?” a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see the scavenger and her really weird but oddly attractive hair.

  
“Why are you asking a stranger you haven’t met questions?” he quipped, a small smirk playing on his lips.

  
She put out her hand, expecting him to take it. “Rey.” She stated.

  
Ben took her calloused hand and gave a friendly smile. “Ben Solo.”

  
This caused her to smile slightly, though he could tell she was trying to hide it. “Ben Solo as in the Ben Solo? As in the Ben Solo who made the Kessel Run in less than eleven parsecs?”

  
“In the flesh. My dad was so pissed that I broke his record, but it was worth it.” He joked, and she laughed.

  
“But why the weapons?” she asked again. “Selling it to nefarious people I assume?”

  
“I always sell weapons to a colony of Wampas on Hoth who became intelligent, there’s good money in it.”

  
She laughed again, and Ben made the mental note to remember that sound.

  
“May I ask what a pretty girl like you is doing on a planet like this?” Ben asked, though regretted it upon seeing the loss of sparkle in her eyes.

  
“I’m waiting on my family to return.” She said, sadly.

  
“Well do you have anything to do at the moment?” He asked, trying to lighten the mood and see her smile again. Ben was a sucker for a brunette who could haggle with a junkyard boss.

  
“Not at the moment, no.” Rey said, raising an eyebrow.

  
“Well then if you’d like to see the very ship I used to make the Kessel Run in, I'd be delighted to show you.”

  
She bit her lip, staring at him and pondering. “Why would you invite a stranger back to your ship? I hope you aren’t thinking that we're gonna…”

  
Ben chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re gorgeous sweetheart, but I don’t expect anything like that from you. Anyone who strokes my ego by mentioning the Kessel Run earns a look at the Falcon.”

  
Rey blushed, or at least Ben thinks she did, and she smiled excitedly. “Then lead the way Captain Solo.”

  
///////////////////////////

  
They made their way to the Millenium Falcon, and Rey couldn’t hold back the smile on her face. It gave Ben a sense of pride, knowing he was taking good care of his father’s famous ship.

  
“This is legendary.” She gasped, allowing her palm to touch the warm outside of the ship. “So many stories, battles fought.”

  
“Oh plenty of battles. Before I got her she already had a bunch of notches under her belt for rebel victories, and I'm proud to say I’ve added a few more.”

  
She turned her head, eyes wide. “You really are a smuggler for the Resistance? That isn’t a rumor?”

  
“Not a rumor at all. How could it be? My mom leads the whole movement.” He smirked at the admiration Rey's eyes. Those beautiful hazel eyes.

  
“That’s amazing, I've always wanted to join. Be a pilot, or…” she began, but trailed off as she looked into the sky.

  
Ben felt a pang of sadness at this. Would this girl be stuck on Jakku the rest of her life? Waiting for her people who would never come?

  
“A pilot? You know how to fly?”

  
She perked up at this and nodded happily. “I have an old simulator back home, it’s where I taught myself.”

  
“That’s admirable kid, it takes a lot to teach yourself to fly.” He said, meaning it with all his heart. He couldn’t imagine having to learn to fly the Falcon without his dad and Uncle Chewie.

  
“Thank you, but I'm not a kid.” She challenged with a feisty tone.

  
“How old are you?”

  
“About nineteen, not a kid.”

  
Nineteen? Young, but not terribly young. Old enough to join the Resistance.

  
“Well to an old man like me, you’re a kid.” He smiled, enjoying teasing her.

  
“You don’t look old. How old are you?” She asked.  
“About to turn thirty, so old.”

  
She crinkled her nose and snorted. “That isn’t old, and if it is you look good for…” she began, but stopped as if she didn’t mean to add the last part. This time an obvious blush appeared an her face, and she suddenly became very interested in the sand below her.

  
Ben chuckled loudly at this. “If I didn’t know any better sweetheart, I would say you almost flirted with me there.”

  
Rey playfully kicked his shin, not causing any pain, with a light smile playing at her lips.

  
“I hope you don’t mind me asking kid, but why don’t you join the Resistance?” He questioned. “We could always use someone with spunk like you, and from the way you hold it, something tells me you could kick my ass with that staff.”

  
“I’d love to, but like I said earlier, my family is coming back for me.” She said.

  
Ben took a deep breath, cursed himself for meddling in this random person's life, and began.

  
“Sweetheart, no offense, but how long have you been on this planet? Years from what I can tell. It’s none of my business, really none of my business, but something tells me your family isn’t coming back for you. I know that hurts to hear, but listen. And really listen.”

  
She looked angry, but Ben grabbed her hand and stared deep into her eyes.

  
“When life gives you a shit hand you gotta play the cards you've been dealt, you can’t just wait out your turn. We just met, you have no other reason to trust me than my good looks and name, but for the love of the Force kid don’t waste away on this planet scavenging for food. You can use your craftiness, your strength, to help the Galaxy. I'm leaving in a few hours. Going straight to the Rebel Base. If you come with me, you can join up. We're always looking for pilots.”

  
He stopped talking and loosened his hand, but Rey was still clinging to it. She looked pissed, but also a little sad. It hurt Ben to see her like this, but he’s seen too many people on planets like Jakku waste away.

  
“Are there any open positions for smugglers?” she asked quietly.

  
Ben gave her a soft smile, and nodded his head. “A position just opened up, I'm looking for a co-pilot with three buns in her hair.”

  
Though Rey was slightly angry and hurt at his true words, she managed to laugh. A part of her was surprised at how Ben managed to sway her slightly. He was right, she’s just waiting out her turn for people who abandoned her in the first place. Another part of her wished to see her family. To know them.

  
“Let me think about it?” she asked, finally letting go of his hand.

  
“Of course. I'm leaving in exactly two hours. Taking off with or without you, but I hope to see you sitting in the chair beside me.”

  
She nodded, and began walking away. Before she got too far though, Ben grabbed her shoulder. “Kid, before you leave, hold on a second.”

  
He then ran into the Falcon, leaving a very confused Rey. After a few minutes, he exited with a leather bag. He handed it to Rey with a kind smile.

  
“Water, blankets, and food. And not that portion crap Unkar gives you, I mean dried meats and vegetables.” Ben said. “Just in case you decide to stay.”

  
Rey felt her heart hurt, as this was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her. She gave Ben a quick hug and a muffled “thank you” before turning away and walking quickly to hide the small tears threatening to escape her eyes.

  
“I hope to see you in two hours kid!” Ben yelled.

  
/////////////////////

  
Ben relaxed in the cushiony pilot's seat, staring at the console panel of the Falcon. He scowled at a few scuffed up buttons that looked like they needed repairs.

  
Today had been an incredibly eventful day. Loading the weapons by himself had been a pain, as Unkar's goons had delivered the weapons to the Falcon but not in the Falcon. Ben was actually surprised when he checked the crates and found that yes indeed, Unkar was true to his word and they were all there.  
These blasters are gonna help the cause for sure.  
Finally he exited the atmosphere of Jakku, and began prepping to enter hyper space. He began clicking the necessary buttons, and swore when one of them literally fell off.

  
The door behind him opened.

  
“How do I look?” Rey asked, twirling a little.  
Ben took in her form, and ignored the lustful thoughts that instantly entered his head.  
Rey was now wearing tight black plants, brown combat boots, a white shirt, and Ben's old standard issue blue Resistance jacket. A blaster pistol was holstered in her belt, and she looked like she knew how to use it.

  
“You look like someone who’s gonna kick the First Order's ass single handedly.” He said, which was apparently the right thing to say because it caused Rey to kiss him on the cheek.

  
She took her seat in the co-pilot's chair, and beamed at Ben.

  
“Shall we?” she asked.

  
“We shall.” He laughed, and initialized the jump to hyper space.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey meets the Resistance but doesn't get much time to enjoy her new surroundings. She also learns more about her new captain.

“And these are the crew bunks.” Ben said, finishing the tour of the Falcon. “It’s a bit cramped, not a lot room, but we'll make do. Who knows? You might never have to sleep in here if you become a pilot.”

  
“I don’t want to be a pilot, I want to be a Smuggler.” Rey said, a determined look on her face.

  
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to be a Smuggler just because-“ he began, but she cut him off.

  
“I know I don’t have to be a Smuggler, I want to be one. If I become a pilot I'll have to wake up early and then train all day, occasionally sparring with the First Order. If I'm a smuggler I get to always be on the run, see the Galaxy, be on the front lines. It’s the adventure I'm after.”

  
Ben raised his brows in surprise to her rant, and he realized that him and Rey may have a lot in common.

  
“Besides Captain Solo, someone has to have your back. I want it to be me.” She smiled, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorway.

  
“Okay, okay” he put his hands up jokingly “you win.”

  
They stood there in silence for a few seconds, smiling at each other like a bunch of idiots.

  
“I believe you.” He said quietly, still smiling.

  
“Thank you?” she said, confused.

  
“It’s a compliment, a weird one, but an honest one. I've had so many recruits beg me to take them on a smuggling mission, but all they cared about was elevating their rank or looking good in front of their friends. But you really want the adventure, to see the Galaxy. I see it in your eyes.”

  
Her cheeks flared at the compliment, and she hoped Ben didn’t notice. “When you spend years living in an AT-AT you crave adventure.” She said.

  
He reached out and softly grabbed her shoulder. “You’re gonna make a damn fine co-pilot Rey.”

  
//////////////////

  
They were now in the cockpit sitting in comfortable silence. Ben was inspecting the meters and gauges on the console, and Rey was just relaxing in her chair, occasionally stealing glances at her handsome captain.

  
Though she was surprised how quickly her life had changed, the fact that she was now co-pilot to _Ben fucking Solo_ made her incredibly giddy. This was like some fantasy she would have after a long day of scavenging.

  
“The old girl is falling apart.” Ben huffed, causing Rey to shake out of her thoughts. “I need to actually buy the parts to repair her one day, not just jury rigging.”

  
“Does the Resistance not buy you parts to fix the Falcon?” She asked. “Especially for their best smuggler.”

  
Ben grinned at that, and turned to face her. “Flattery will get you everywhere sweetheart.”

  
Rey rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hold back the smile on her lips. Ben returned to fiddling with the console, but continued talking.

  
“The Resistance has an incredibly low budget at the moment. At one point I thought my dad and I owed a lot of money, but when my mom talked about the expenses for the Resistance, I almost choked. Most of the budget for the Resistance is made up of loans from shady business tycoons, or donations from governments who support the rebellion, but are too afraid to do it openly.”

  
“So we're broke?”

  
“You got that right sweetheart, very broke. Barely scraping by, but we do. We have to.”

  
They fell back into a comfortable silence for a moment.

  
“That should do it.” He said, leaning back in his chair. “So Rey, are you good with your hands?”

  
Her eyes shot open and her cheeks flushed blood red. She began playing with the hem of her shirt, trying to process what he just said. Comments like that were always being thrown at her back on Jakku, filthy men who craved to get into her pants, but she thought Ben was different, that he-

  
“Cause honestly the Hyperdrive ends up breaking every other week, so if you don’t have knowledge of advanced systems like that I can teach you.” He said nonchalantly, propping his feet on the console. “It’s important to know how to do basic repairs, yes, but knowing how to fix the life support system when you’re hours away from civilization can come in handy.”

  
Oh. _Oh_. Her heart fluttered in relief, but now her cheeks were red with embarrassment. “Y-yes, I have a basic knowledge of advanced systems.” She mumbled.

  
“Good” Ben said, but kept his eyes on her. He noticed her blush and uncomfortable look. “You alright Rey? If you don’t know I can teach you, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  
“No! It’s not that.” She said, flustered. Rey took a deep breath, and explained. “I got comments like that a lot back on Jakku, but they didn’t mean it in the way you did. For a second there I thought, well…”

  
Ben's eyes widened at this, and Rey could see the compassion in them. He reached out and grabbed her knee, squeezing it.

  
“I’m a Smuggler, wanted on just about every planet, and can be a cocky asshole.” He smiled. “but I wouldn’t ever do that to you sweetheart. We're crewmates, it’s you and me against the world.”   
She smiled and intertwined her fingers with his.

“Thank you.” She softly replied.

  
A light flashed and an alarm sounded, causing Ben to take his hand away from Rey's and begin assessing the Falcon.

  
“We’re out of hyper space.” He said. “Can you go ahead and begin preparations for landing while I comm into base and tell them we’re here?”

  
“Aye aye Captain!” Rey saluted, causing Ben to snort in amusement.

  
“Momma Bird this is baby bird, requesting nest access over.” Ben said.

  
“ _Damnit son would it kill you to use the correct code names?_ ” A woman’s voice cackled back, causing Ben to smirk and Rey to laugh.

  
“Rodger that Momma Bird, Falcon is landing.”

  
“ _You’re just like you’re father_.” The woman huffed, shutting down the comm link.

  
Rey laughed again, looking over at Ben. “I take it that was your mom?” She asked.

  
“Indeed it was. Leia Organa Solo herself, always angry that I forget the proper code phrases.” Ben chuckled. “She probably recognized the Falcon's ID coming near the planet and insisted I get patched through to her immediately.”

  
“Oh so she doesn’t monitor every ship coming and going?” Rey sarcastically asked, earning a playful scoff from Ben.

  
“Nope, just the Falcon. She is the Momma Bird after all.”

  
Rey rolled her eyes and continued the landing sequence.

  
////////////////

  
D'Qar was an incredibly green planet, and Rey was bursting with excitement to feel grass for the first time in years. She noticed as they were landing, a crowd of people were gathering a few feet away from the landing pad.

  
“Why are all those people gathering?” Rey asked, placing a hand on Ben's shoulder due to nerves of being in a new place.

  
“That’s the welcoming party. My mom, close friends, and officers expecting a debriefing.” Ben explained.

“They’re gonna love meeting you. Mom always says we need more 'kick ass women' in the alliance.”

  
“You get a welcome party when you return?”

  
“When you’re gone for months smuggling contraband to various different outposts, people miss you.” He explained. “Also how could you not miss a face like this?”

  
Rey lightly punched his arm and crinkled her nose in amusement.

  
“Don’t get too comfy though. We aren’t gonna be here long.”

  
The ship finally finished the landing sequence, and they exited. Everyone was excited to see Ben, but curious upon seeing Rey. She was normally confident in any situation she found herself in, but being stared at like an outsider was slightly intimidating, and she resisted the urge to grab Ben's arm for comfort.

  
“Ben! So good to see you.” An older women, who Rey assumed to be Leia, hugged Ben. He laughed, and hugged her back.

  
“Good to see you too Mom.”

  
Leia looked up from Ben's embrace and made eye contact with Rey. The older woman looked her up and down, as if scanning her, and then smiled.

  
“And you brought a girl.”

  
/////////////////////

  
They were now in what seemed to be a meeting room, huddled around a map of the Galaxy. Soldiers were bustling to a fro, relaying information through comm links. The atmosphere of the room was tense, causing Rey to feel a bit overwhelmed, yet highly interested.

  
Ben had already introduced her to everybody. Leia was quite friendly to her, but everybody else seemed skeptical still.

  
“The weapons were delivered no problem, however it seems that Unkar expects to continue being a contact for us on Jakku. I told him that if he kept getting his hands on valuable materials that can happen, though honestly this seems like a one time thing.” Ben said, speaking to the group.

  
“Unkar is nothing more than a junk Lord, how could he have possibly gotten his hands on those blasters?” one officer commented, rubbing his beard.

  
“Maybe he’s moving up in the crime world?” a female officer suggested. “Getting bigger scores and gaining confidence?”

  
“What do you think Rey?” Ben asked, causing everyone to look at her.

  
“Unkar’s been doing small time heists and robberies for years now.” She said. “Every now and then he gets lucky, gets a good haul, but most of the time what he gets is not better than what I would scavenge for him.”

  
Everyone in the room accepted her intel, nodding at her words. That along with the soft smile Ben gave boosted her confidence and quelled her nerves.

  
“We’ve interviewed the defected Storm trooper and didn’t gain much.” Leia said. “He’s a good kid, wants to fight the First Order, but was a low ranking trooper. Not much combat experience.”

  
“Are we gonna take him?” Ben asked.

  
“Already swore him in this morning. Poe demanded it.”

  
Ben chuckled. “Well anyone who saves Poe's ass by stealing a tie fighter obviously has guts. He should fit in nicely here. What’s his name?”

  
“Finn. Apparently it was FN something, but he decided on Finn.”

  
“Sounds interesting, I can’t wait for Poe to tell me about it tonight.” Ben chuckled, however Rey noticed Leia frowned.

  
“I’m sorry Ben, but we need you to go on another mission straight away.” She said. “This time it’s just simple intel gathering.”

  
Ben huffed and rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache, Leia was about to continue, but Ben spoke instead.

  
“No problem General, lay it on me.”

  
“Maz Kanata, though against speaking of politics and war, has recently contacted us. She said she’s heard rumors of some kind of super weapon the First Order is building, though just rumors. Nothing concrete. We need you to head to her castle, make contact, and try and consolidate the rumors for our use.” Leia said.

  
“Maz has never busied herself with war before.” Ben muttered, and Rey noticed he seemed confused.

  
“Exactly, which is why we must investigate this. If whatever rumors she heard scared her into contacting us, there has to be something behind them. You need to refuel and gather supplies, but leave as soon as possible.”

  
Ben nodded, and after giving his mother a quick hug, motioned for Rey to follow him out.

"Told you not to get comfy kid."

  
/////////////////////

  
“The Falcon is being restocked and refueled. After we eat, we'll head for Takodana.” Ben said between bites of food.

  
Rey wasn’t sure exactly what she was eating, but she was in heaven. The young scavenger was still getting used to warm meals, and was currently inhaling the food on her tray.

  
She wasn’t aware of how quickly and messily she was eating until she looked at the next table and saw a few soldiers snickering at her. Ben noticed too, and was about to speak until Rey did first.

  
“Not all of us are used to warm meals you dim witted nerf-herders.” Rey said, before continuing eating.

  
Ben then snickered at the soldiers. “Yeah, what she said.”

  
////////////////

  
“Fuel good. Hyperdrive?” Ben asked.

  
“Fully functional.”

  
“Life support systems?”

  
“Operational.”

  
“Back up engines?”

  
“Operational.”

  
“My handsome face?”

  
Rey snorted. “Non-existent.”

  
“Then we are prepared for take off.” Ben chuckled. Before he engaged thrusters though, he turned to Rey, and rested his hand on hers.

  
“Your first mission. Ready sweetheart?” he smiled softly.

  
She grabbed his hand and smiled back. “More than I ever have been.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one was segmented weird and broke into parts, but I really wanted something short and simple because next chapter I plan on having more substance.
> 
> Rey and Ben are flirting, getting to know each other. Who knows? Maybe a kiss is coming up? ;)
> 
> Maybe next chapter will have more of Rey's thoughts?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben head for Maz's Castle, only to learn things they wish weren't true.

Even though the bunks in the Millennium Falcon were much more comfortable than her hammock back on Jakku, Rey struggled to go to sleep. She knew her strengths, being able adapt, overcome new obstacles, and face challenges deemed impossible, however the simple task of sleeping in a new environment seemed rather daunting to her. She knew her and Ben were the only ones on the ship, but in the back of her mind she was afraid of relaxing in this new setting.

  
Ben, however, was asleep the minute his head hit the pillow in the bunk opposite of hers. He was snoring softly, occasionally muttering phrases such as “I can get you your money” or “I wasn’t even on Tatooine when that happened.”

  
At least while she struggled to fall asleep, the charming Ben Solo could accidentally amuse her and make the situation less miserable.

  
She turned her head and studied the smuggler. His dark hair was messy, sprawled over the pillow. Even in the dim room she could see his chest slowly rise and fall, and his facial expression change to react to whatever dream he was having. The covers had been kicked off at some point, and he was just laying there, in his boxers with his limbs sprawled over the bunk, giving Rey easy view of his toned frame, scared body, and slight bulge of-

  
Rey’s cheeks flushed at the thought. She was beginning to have feelings for Ben, feelings that she wasn’t sure she should be having, feelings she didn’t have time for back on Jakku. Feelings that _definitely were not appropriate for a co-pilot to have for her captain._

  
“I don’t eat shrimp, no.” Ben mumbled, turning in his sleep.

  
Rey giggled and watched his lips frown. His very plump and kissable lips-

  
“Stop it.” She whispered to herself, shaking her head.

  
How could a man make her feel this way in such a short amount of time?

  
////////////

  
“All the readings seem normal. Nothing off the charts or anything.” Ben said, making a note on his clipboard.

  
Currently they were inspecting the Hyperdrive because Ben “swore it sounded a bit off” even though two separate diagnostic tests showed it was operating well within safe parameters. Rey was busy checking the life support system, not because anything was wrong with it, just to ease the mind of her captain.

  
“Is this just paranoia because you didn’t run the diagnostic test back on D'Qar?” Rey teased.

  
“Hey, when you’re in this business for as long as I've been, paranoia saves your life.” He smiled.

  
“There’s a difference between being aware and being paranoid.” She responded, not skipping a beat.

  
“Theoretically.”

  
“You can’t just say theoretically, there is a difference.” 

“Hypothetically” he chuckled.

  
“Ugh! You’re insufferable!” she laughed, perhaps smiling a little too hard at his teasing.

  
Before he could retort the Hyperdrive warning alarm went off, indicating that they would be exiting hyperspace soon. Ben set his clipboard down, and Rey followed him to the cockpit. They both sat in their respective seats, and began prepping the Falcon for exit.

  
“When we get out is hyperspace make sure you watch the map.” He said, clicking a few buttons. “Lot of pirate ships in the area , and not all of them respect the planet's ceasefire.”

  
Rey nodded and engaged the Falcon's stabilizers, all while keeping her eyes on the map. They exited hyperspace, and her eyes got distracted upon noticing Takodana's lush green landscape, and Crystal blue oceans. D'Qar was a green planet, but this was so much greener.

  
“I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole Galaxy.” Rey just about whispered, overwhelmed at the beauty.

  
Ben smiled at her innocence. “Wait until we get even closer sweetheart. The landscape around Maz's castle is just about breathtaking.”

  
She beamed at this, obviously exited. In the back of her mind she felt something. Like a small pull, encouraging her onward. She assumed it was just nerves.

  
Ben slowed the engines down as they entered the atmosphere.

  
“We’ll meet with Maz and ask her more about the rumors, and then maybe ask around a bit ourselves. Let me do most of the talking, I don’t want you getting us into a fight with that attitude of yours.” He smirked.

  
“Oh, my attitude?” she asked. “I bet it’s gonna be your mouth that starts a fight.”

  
“Most likely, yes. Will you back me up if it happens?” he asked, giving her a wink.

  
Blood rushed to her cheeks and she ignored it, giving him a playful scowl.

  
“I might let them get a few good hits in before helping you.”

 

Ben barked out a laugh as he initialized the landing sequence.

  
He was right though. As they landed Rey was amazed by the beautiful blue lake, gorgeous green trees, and ancient looking castle. That with the clear blue sky made Takodana look like it was from a fairy tail.

Eventually they landed, and Rey followed Ben to the castle. She couldn’t keep the smile off of her face as she marveled at the beautiful scenery and diverse group of species around her. As they entered the castle her nose was bombarded with smells completely new to her. Animals that smelled terrible, meats roasting that smelled delicious, and various other scents she couldn’t recognize.

Ben nodded at a few people as he walked by, and Rey felt his arm slip comfortably behind her back. 

“Stay close.” He said. “A lot of these brutes haven’t seen a girl as pretty as you their whole lives, and I don’t feel like watching you beat the shit out of them while we’re on a mission if they grab you.”

Rey nodded, feeling happy that Ben called her pretty, and proud that he trusted her fighting abilities.   
“Ben Solo you charmer” she thought to herself.  
They walked up to the bar, and as Ben talked to the bartender Rey felt the pull again though this time it was much stronger. As if something was beckoning her from deep in the castle. She tried to ignore it, but the feeling remained.

  
“Right. Thank you.” Ben said, slipping the bartender some credits, then turning to face Rey. “Maz is down stairs doing inventory apparently. We can go together, or you can look around if you'd like.”

  
She thought about it for a second, and subconsciously grabbed the hem of his jacket. “I’d rather stay close for now.” she said, slightly embarrassed at feeling overwhelmed.

  
Ben nodded, and sensing her embarrassment, eased the mood. “Good call, I'm still relying on you to save my ass when I get into a fight.” He smiled, which caused her to smile too.

  
The steps down into the basement were slick, and Rey had to steady herself against the wall to walk down safely. The air reeked of ancient stone and moss, and the cold air made her grateful for her jacket. She noticed that as they descended the steps, the pull grew stronger. She felt a…disturbance.

  
“Maz! You down here?” Ben yelled.

  
“Ben Solo? I knew I felt that Solo arrogance enter my castle.” A voice as ancient as the castle called back.

  
“Where are you?” he asked, smiling at her jab.

  
“Down the hall.”

  
Out from a room, a small orange skinned woman emerged. She had on what seemed to be googles.   
“I’m glad you arrived quickly.” She said, adjusting her goggles to focus on Ben and Rey. “And who is the girl? I've never seen her before.”

  
“Rey, my co-pilot.” Ben answered. “And apparently I had to get here as quickly as possible. What’s this about a super weapon Maz?”

  
Ben waited for an answer, but was met with silence. Instead, Maz continued studying Rey, not breaking eye contact with her.

  
“You feel it, don’t you kid?” Maz said.

  
“Feel what?” Rey answered, though she knew what the woman meant.

  
“The pull. I can feel your confusion over it.” Maz motioned down the hall. “Follow it, Ben and I will talk.”

  
Rey looked at Ben, who nodded. “I’d look into it sweetheart, Maz here is force sensitive. Don’t worry about it, I'm right down here if you need me.”

  
Rey nodded back, and began slowly walking down the hall to whatever force was pulling her.

  
“She’s force sensitive.” Maz whispered.

  
“Really? You sure?” Ben whispered back, watching Rey walk down the hall.

  
“I'm not Jedi, but I know the Force, and that kid has it.” Maz said. “She’s powerful too. I haven’t felt that kinda power since Luke.”

  
This sent shockwaves through Ben's body. Out of all the things to happen today, he did not expect this.

  
“What do you think is calling her?” He asked.

  
Maz chuckled. “You’ll see in a minute, now, back to the conversation at hand.”

  
“Give it to me straight Maz, are these empty rumors?”

  
“I thought they were at first Ben, really, I did. But then I kept hearing them, and they were always the same. Never overly exaggerated, just the same story from many different people.”

  
“Well tell me the story.”

  
Maz sighed, and rubbed her forehead, as if stressed or worried. “Basically a smuggler, or mercenary, or whoever will be in the Unknown Regions for work. Whether it be a spice deal, tracking, what have you. Out of nowhere they come upon an ice planet, a massive one. The tricky thing is that for it to appear on your radar, you have to be right on it kid. If you’re too far, you can see it, but it won’t appear on your map.”

  
“That’s odd.” Ben said, rubbing his scruff.

  
“Real odd kid. When whoever gets too close to the planet, First Order interceptors come out of nowhere and attack them. I've lost a lot of regular customers kid, and by lost I mean vanished. People with prices on their heads too, but when I ask around, I find out nobody’s claimed their bounty. They’re just gone. Those who escape the interceptors come here, and talk.”

  
“Definitely sounds like we found the First Order's home base, but what makes you think it’s a super weapon?”

  
“A defected Storm trooper arrived here one day a few weeks ago. Got drunk and talked about how he escaped because he couldn’t handle what the First Order planned on doing, couldn’t help build Starkiller anymore.” She said.

  
“Starkiller? Ominous.” Ben muttered, suddenly nervous. “Thanks Maz.”

  
“No problem kid, now how about-”

  
Maz's words were interrupted by a scream from Rey, and Ben sprinted down the hall to her. He found her in a dusty room, pressed against a wall looking scared. Her eyes were staring at, of all things, a lightsaber on the ground.

  
“What the hell?” Ben asked, picking up the weapon. He glanced at Rey, who was still obviously frightened. “You alright sweetheart?”

  
Rey was breathing heavily, eyeing the lightsaber suspiciously. “It, I picked it up and…I heard and felt…” she tried to explain, but couldn’t. The feeling was so odd, like an out of body experience.

  
“That lightsaber has a lot of history kid.” Maz said, finally having made her way to the room. “It belonged to Anakin Skywalker, many years ago.”

  
“Anakin Skywalker?” Ben asked, shocked. This was definitely not the day he thought he would have. “My mother's father?”

  
Maz nodded, and then pointed to Rey.

  
“It called you kid. You have the Force, I know it.”   
Rey shook her head. “No. That can’t be possible…it makes no sense.”

  
“Maz isn’t wrong with this type of stuff Rey.” Ben said calmly, trying to soothe her. She was still distressed. “If she says you have it, you have it.”

  
She just shook her head again and looked at Ben, eyes pleading. “Can we please leave?”

  
Ben nodded, still holding the lightsaber. “We can talk about this later, you shouldn’t have to worry about-”

  
“Maz! Maz!” a man yelled, running into the room with a blaster rifle. “We got four First Order assault launchers about to make touchdown. Radar's picking up Tie Fighters too.”

  
“Those beasts! They’re finally here!” Maz snarled, turning to Ben. “You two need to get out of here. The Resistance can’t risk losing Rey.”

  
“Fuck. Come on sweetheart.” Ben said, grabbing Rey's hand and running. “Stay safe Maz!” he yelled behind his back.

  
They ran up the stairs, and after exiting the empty bar and entering the castle courtyard they heard the firing of laser rifles and the whine of incoming Tie Fighters.

  
“They’ve touched down! First Order incoming!” Someone yelled.

  
And before Ben or Rey knew it, everything went to shit.

  
Tie Fighters performed their first strafing run and took down a wall, killing about twelve men and disorienting many more. A Tie Bomber took out an entire defense tower. Before anyone had time to react, storm trooper infantry was already advancing on the castle. The mix of pirates, smugglers, and other nefarious people were giving it their all, but were no match for the sheer numbers of Storm troopers assaulting the castle. Men were falling left and right, screaming in agony as lasers ripped through them.

  
“Take out your blaster pistol!” Ben yelled. “We can’t stay and defend, we have to get out of here!”

  
“I’ll follow you to the Falcon!” Rey yelled back, laying down covering fire.

  
Ben turned and winked. “Try to keep up sweetheart.”

  
And with that he sprinted off, taking cover here and there, and shooting down the occasional Storm trooper. Rey was instantly behind him, guarding his rear and ensuring he had covering fire.

  
She knelt behind a rock and caught her breath, looking around at the scene unfolding in front of her. Storm troopers were mowing down the now retreating castle defenders, as Tie Fighters made their second strafing run. A riot trooper was beating down a defenseless man, and a grenade obliterated a wall.

  
Rey had been in fights before, plenty. She was a good fighter, but nothing could have prepared her for a battle such as this. Nothing, not even her years on Jakku, could have prepared her for the screaming, the explosions, and the screeching of a Tie Fighter only a few hundred feet above you. This chaos was a special chaos, one you could only learn by experiencing it first hand.

  
“Rey! Only a little bit more! Come on!” Ben yelled.

  
She followed his voice.

  
//////////////////

  
“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck, come on.” Ben said, engaging the Falcon’s thrusters.

  
Outside storm troopers were firing at the Falcon, but only a few shots were actually hitting. They began lifting off the ground, both Rey and Ben still catching their breath, when they saw it.

  
A large cluster of long, green lights entering the atmosphere, heading straight for the castle.

  
“No.” Ben whispered. “Fuck, no!” he then yelled.

  
“Ben , what is that?” she asked, terrified.

  
“Orbital strike.”

  
The lights hit the castle, flashing a blinding white light causing Ben and Rey to shield their eyes. The Falcon vibrated from the deafening explosion, and Rey allowed herself to let out a sob of fear.

  
“Damnit.” Ben seethed. “Damnit!”

  
He engaged the Falcon’s engines, and shot out of the atmosphere.

  
//////////////////////

  
Rey stepped out of the small, cramped shower. Even though the water was freezing and there was barely enough room to stand, it was still a luxury compared to how she would bathe on Jakku. She dried off, and after dressing in her bunk clothes, exited the bathroom.

  
Ben was sitting on his bunk, still dressed. His clothes were dirty, and his hair was incredibly messy. He reeked of sweat. Rey sat next to him, and placed her hand on his back.

  
“You okay?” she asked softly.

  
“I don’t know.” He admitted. “I knew Maz since I was a kid.”

  
She nodded, and rubbed his back a bit. “I’m sorry.”

  
Ben looked over at her, and grabbed her knee. “I’m sorry this was your first mission. It was supposed to be simple, so I could show you the ropes.”

  
“You had no way of knowing Ben, the First Order are monsters. I was going to fight them eventually anyways.”

  
“Was that your first battle?” he asked.

  
“Yeah.” Was her soft reply. She was still replaying the horrible scenes in her mind.

  
“Your first real battle is always the worst.” He said. “The screams, blood, noises. It gets better, though I'm not sure that’s a good thing.”

  
Rey nodded her head, cursing the tears that slipped. So much had changed so quickly. Her life was upside down.

  
Ben slowly brought his thumb to her cheek, and wiped away a tear. Then, with the simplest lean, he traced the outline of her lips with his.

  
Rey melted into the kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that wasn't terrible. Have they kissed too soon? I don't think so. See you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben smuggle weapons, buy a dress, and take a nap.

**Rumors of a mobile super weapon and First Order command base affirmed by Maz [deceased]. First Order assaulted the castle, barely escaped. Castle destroyed by orbital strike, no casualties on our end. Awaiting further orders, Baby Bird out.**

  
Ben stared at the words on the screen before sending them through the long distance communication link. It was still hard to believe really. Maz and her ancient castle were gone, the First Order apparently had a mobile command base which might double as a super weapon, and Rey was force sensitive enough to become a Jedi.

  
Why couldn’t things just stay simple? _Smuggle, shoot the bad guys, and get victory drinks for the battles we win._

  
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, thinking about nursing his growing headache with some of that spiced whiskey in the storage bay.

  
“Try not to look so glum, you aren’t that bad of a kisser.” Rey teased, walking into the common area.

  
“From how you melted into my arms last night sweetheart, I thought you enjoyed it.” He quipped back.

  
At first when he kissed her Ben was worried that he might have overly complicated their relationship. They had just met after all. Traumatic experiences however seem to bond people together faster than time itself, so thankfully there was no awkward tension. Hell, if anything, the small kiss solidified the feelings they were developing for each other.

  
“Oh you thought that was me melting into your arms? I was passing out from your disgusting breath.” She said.

  
Ben laughed, but then turned his attention to the beeping comm link.

  
**Roger that. Your next assignment is a simple smuggling one. You need to bring a crate of blaster pistols and explosives to the safe house on Coruscant. Try to enjoy it, but most importantly stay safe. Momma Bird out.**

  
“Coruscant.” Ben grumbled, shaking his head.

  
“The capital of the New Republic?” Rey asked, reading the message from Leia on the comm link. “Why do we need to bring weapons there? Aren’t they friendly to our cause?”

  
“Friendly? Only when it supports their needs.” He explained. “Rarely do they ever assault the First Order with the Resistance. Instead they sit in their senate and debate and argue while innocents die.”

  
“Assholes.” Rey muttered. “But still, why do we need to store weapons there?”

  
“The safe house acts as more of a holding area and resupply cache for soldiers like us, who are constantly on the move. If we ever need ammo, food, or even disguises, we can head there and restock. We have a safe house on Coruscant because the government won’t shoot us on site, and it’s nicely located in the galaxy.”

  
“Makes sense.” She concluded.

  
“Yep. This mission is pretty much us just restocking the place.”

  
They allowed the room to fall silent for a moment, the only noises being the hum of the Falcon and the clicks of the keyboard as Ben typed his reply. Rey cleared her throat to grab his attention, causing him to look up from the screen.

  
“Can we talk about…it?” She hesitantly asked.

  
He was confused for a second, before understanding what she meant. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. It seems like a lot to take in.”

  
“No, I think we need to address it.”

  
He nodded, and waited for her to clear her chest.

  
“What are we supposed to do knowing that I can be a Jedi?” She asked. “That I have the ability?”

  
“You don’t have to do anything Rey. You do what you want. Once we find my Uncle’s location, we can take you to him and he can train you, or we can return the lightsaber to him and never speak of what Maz said.”

  
“I have a choice?” She asked softly.

  
“Of course you do. The force chose you, but you don’t have to choose it.” He reached out and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re in charge of your own destiny.”

  
“I think I needed to hear that.” Rey sighed. “That I’m in control.”

  
“You’re in control of your life Rey.”

  
She smiled and nodded.

  
“So, Coruscant? What’s it like?”

  
“In my opinion? You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

  
Rey rolled her eyes playfully. “Okay drama queen, what makes you say that?”

  
“Just me being convinced that politics are evil and bureaucracy is a waste of time.”

  
“I come from a planet with no politics or bureaucracy, and I can assure you that anarchy is not a good system of government.” She said.

  
Ben snorted at the comment. “I never said anarchy sweetheart, of course there would be a form of government, just not a republic or anything.”

  
“Oh really? May I ask what you and your infinite wisdom deem as the superior government?”

  
His eyes sparkled with amusement as he placed his hands in the air. “Okay, so imagine King Solo.”

  
Rey has never rolled her eyes that hard in her entire life.

  
////////////////////////////////////////////

  
They had finally reached Coruscant, and after hiding a few blaster pistol and grenades in luggage, Ben and Rey exited the Falcon and began making their way off the landing platform. Rey stared in both awe and fear of the flashing lights, bustling people, and speeders flying in the sky above. Ben wrapped his free arm around her back, both calming and guiding her.

  
“Try to stay sharp. We’re high enough in the atmosphere to avoid most pickpockets and would be muggers, but you never know.” He warned, glancing around.

  
“Is a crime a problem on this planet?” she asked.

  
“Yep. The New Republic is much better than the Empire was, but what the Empire lacked in respect for life they made up for in tight security. Under Imperial rule, and I hate admitting this, Coruscant had never been safer.”

  
They turned a corner, and Rey furrowed her brows at the sight _of even more people._

  
“So the police force here is weak?”

  
“More like nonexistent, but weak is a nicer word.”

  
Rey shuddered at the idea. Back on Jakku, she imagined core planets to be the very definition of civilized. Laws protecting people, soldiers keeping criminals away, and just overall better conditions. While Coruscant was superior to Jakku in many ways, the fact that she still saw children begging on the streets her and Ben were walking on made her wonder if there was any truly good place in the Galaxy.

  
They passed by a market stall when she saw it. Displayed perfectly on a mannequin was a beautiful, softly colored yellow dress. It had little white lines in patterns around it, and fabric looked light and comfortable.

  
She stopped in her place and stared, causing Ben to turn around confused. Rey slowly walked towards the dress, and touched the delicate fabric. Ben was still puzzled at her reaction to a simple dress, and followed her.

  
“It’s pretty.” He said. “It would look good on you.”

  
Her cheeks flushed slightly and her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she couldn’t picture herself looking good in it.

  
“I’ve always wanted one.” She commented. “Ever since I was little.”

  
“I always pictured you as a 'I'm too badass for dresses' kinda girl.” Ben said.

  
Rey scrunched her nose playfully, but continued staring. “Dresses are badass. They can be simple or elegant, they have this look when women wear them that says 'don't fuck with me'. Dresses make you look beautiful and badass at the same time.” She said.

  
“You should get it.” He smiled.

  
“No there isn’t a point, I wouldn’t look-”

  
“Good in it? Rey that dress would look stunning on you.” He said, checking the price tag. “It’s cheap too.”

  
“I don’t” she began, but Ben ignored her and waved at the shop keep.

  
“I’m buying this dress.” He said. “Not for me.”

  
//////////////////////

  
They were now continuing their walk to the safehouse, instead now they were holding luggage full of weapons and Rey was holding a small bag with a yellow dress.

  
“You didn’t have to buy the dress for me.” She said. “I can’t even think of when I would wear it.”

  
“Consider it my way of making up for when you went without all those years on Jakku.” He gave her a kind smile. “You deserve to have something nice. Besides, if it really bugs you that bad, when you get your first Resistance paycheck you can buy me a dress.”

  
She chuckled at the thought of Ben Solo in a dress. “I would give up my entire check to see you in a dress.”

  
“If I was you, I would too. I look stunning in an evening gown.”

  
She laughed a bit harder at that. “I bet. But seriously Ben, thank you. It was kind of you.”

  
“Don’t mention it sweetheart.”

  
After a few minutes of silent walking, they finally entered a building. After getting into an elevator, and Ben having to explain what an elevator was and then calming Rey down as they shot up into the building, they made it to the safehouse.

  
“Put the blaster pistols in the kitchen drawers.” Ben said, unzipping a couch cushion. “If you sit on the couch don’t sit on the left cushion, that’s where we hide the grenades.”

  
“Grenades in the couch? That’s safe.” She called from the kitchen. “I can just throw these blasters anywhere in the drawers? No specific place?”

  
“Anywhere in the drawers, yeah.”

  
She picked a few random drawers and shoved the blasters in, making sure they were set to safety. Rey then left the kitchen to find Ben shoving grenades into an opened couch cushion. She stared at him wide eyed, which caused him to look at her confused.

  
“What?” he asked.

  
“You actually hide the grenades in the couch cushions?” she asked, dumbfounded.

  
“You thought I was joking?” he chuckled.

  
“I was hoping, yes.”

  
Minutes later they were sitting on the couch, away from the grenades. The lack of space (much to Rey's delight) forced her to sit close to Ben. He laid an arm around the back of the couch, which inadvertently meant he laid his arm around her, and she leaned slightly into his shoulder.

  
“What do we do now?”

  
“Just wait for a new mission.” He said, yawning. Ben propped his feet up, and relaxed further into the couch, causing Rey to lean into him more and relax her feet on the soft cushion.

  
“Just wait?” she repeated his yawn. Ben was warm and smelled nice, causing Rey to slowly begin giving into the nap that called her.

  
Neither of them got much sleep last night. Rey reliving the chaos of the battle in her mind, and Ben mourning for Maz.

  
“I don’t think a quick nap will hurt.” Ben muttered.

  
“Mhm.”

  
/////////////////////////

  
Ben awoke to beeping. He groggily looked around the room, and after gently getting up and laying Rey down on the couch, went to quiet the annoying sound. As he neared the kitchen, he found it was from the long range comm link.

  
**Rumors of First Order base confirmed by intel and scouting reports. All mobile units report to HQ for strategizing.**

  
He turned to go wake Rey, but the comm link beeped again.

  
**This means you too Han**.

  
Chuckling he exited the kitchen, and gazed down at Rey on the couch. Her hazelnut hair was sprawled on the cushion, and her freckled face was relaxed in a way he hadn’t seen before. He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly, causing her to smile in her sleep.

  
“Rey.” He whispered, trying to rouse her as gently as possible. “Rey.”

  
“Just let me sleep you oversized tree.” She grumbled, turning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this one was short and not a lot happened except a bit of bonding. The next few chapters I plan to have more meat in them. 
> 
> Any suggestions? Let me know.
> 
> Here's Rey's dress: http://www.everytimefashion.com/explore/27414
> 
> Oh and don't worry, that dress will be making its appearance down the line >:)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance forms a plan to assault Starkiller base, Han and Chewie arrive finally, and relationships are established.

Rey studied the map as Ben and Leia argued back and forth, with Poe occasionally interjecting to make a point about logistics or tactics. Frankly, all of this made Rey's head hurt, but she was here because Ben said she was a co-pilot, which made her an officer in his mind. He also made the comment that he needed someone pretty to look at during the meeting, which made her heart swell with pride.

  
All of the comments she’s used to getting from men normally involved her back side or chest.

  
They had arrived at the base yesterday, and Ben was sure to introduce her formally to Poe and Finn. Poe was a high officer (commander she thinks) of the Resistance Starcorps. Finn was a defected Storm trooper, and was very polite. Ben swore Poe was flirting with Finn, but she wasn’t sure.

  
She had yet to have a conversation with Leia, but Ben warned her it was coming.

  
“A full on assault would be suicidal.” Leia said, her voice commanding and strong. “We would need to send in a small task force, time is of the essence.”

  
“We don’t even know what we’re dealing with.” Ben said, and Poe nodded in agreement. “Finn worked sanitation, so he has a map of the place in his head, but that’s not good enough. We need a concrete map of the place.”

  
“Why don’t we send a small task force to retrieve a map of the base? Get in get out, then we can plan our assault from there.” Poe said.

  
“Too risky. The First Order would know you were there moment you got near the planet. Nothing leaves or enters that atmosphere without flight control's say.” Finn said.

  
“Then let’s take out flight control.” Poe and Ben said at the same time, causing each other to laugh.

  
“You thinking what I'm thinking?” Poe asked.

  
“Steal a First Order ship and storm trooper armor, use the access codes Finn knows to gain access, download a map of the planet, and leave?” Ben smirked.

  
“Damn right, you up for it Finn?”

  
The ex-trooper looked up, obviously nervous, but nodded his head. “Hell yeah.”

  
“Rey?” Ben asked, giving her the classic Solo smile.

  
“I gotta be there to keep you out of trouble Solo.” She quipped, causing Leia to laugh.

  
“I’ve said the same thing to Han so many times.” The older woman said, shaking her head.

  
Both Rey and Ben blushed at this, though Ben chuckled slightly and kept his kind eyes on Rey, who timidly stared back.

  
“And I love you for it.” An older man's voice said from the doorway. Leia quickly walked over to him, and Ben's eyes lit up with happiness as he too walked over.

  
Standing in the doorway, rather cockily, was Han Solo himself. Behind him was a Wookie, who Rey guessed to be Chewbacca from what Ben said.

  
“Han.” Leia cooed, hugging him. He laughed affectionately, and kissed her forehead.

  
“Miss me sweetheart?” He asked.

  
_So that’s where Ben gets it from._ Rey thought, smiling at the tenderness.

  
“We have a lot to talk about.” Ben chuckled, hugging his dad.

  
“You bet your ass we do. I didn’t believe it when Chewie and I heard that you exited Hyperspace in the atmosphere of Yavin 4, that was ridiculous!” Han exclaimed. “Incredibly dangerous Ben.”

  
Ben was quiet for a moment before speaking. “Kinda badass though.”

  
Han put his hand on his son's shoulder and smiled. “So badass, made me proud.”

  
The two Solo men laughed while Leia shook her head, a playful scowl on her face.

  
Chewbacca made an odd set of noises Rey wasn’t used to and didn’t understand, but apparently both Solo men did.

  
“Yeah I'm taking good care of her. Two diagnostic tests a week, always keep fluids and charges high.” Ben said.

  
Chewbacca made a noise back, which was much softer this time. It caused Ben to laugh, and hug the large hairy Wookie.

  
“I missed you too fuzz ball.” Ben said, then exited the hug. He then turned to Rey, and motioned for her to approach. “I want you to meet my friend and co-pilot, Rey.”

  
She walked over and introduced herself politely, deeply nervous and hoping to make a good impression. Han shook her hand, and gave a knowing look to Ben.

  
“It’s good to meet you Rey, the names Han Solo.” He said. “This here is my co-pilot and-”

  
Chewbacca made a few aggressive noises.

  
“I was about to add best friend, just wait a little.” Han said to him before turning back to Rey. “What I was saying was that Chewie here is my co-pilot and best friend.”

  
“It’s good to meet you finally, Ben has told me stories.” She smiled.

  
“Well that’s odd, because Ben hasn’t told me anything about you, neither has Leia.” Han said.

  
“Is she fiesty?” Han asked Ben.

  
“Razor sharp tongue.” Ben instantly replied back.

  
“Can she fight?” Han questioned.

  
“Yes, she can also speak for herself.” Rey challenged.

  
“There you go honey, stick it to 'em.” Leia said.

  
Han laughed at this, putting his arm around his wife.

  
“I’m just giving you a hard time Rey, it’s my job to embarrass Ben in front of his girlfriend.” Han said, turning around with his wife to leave the room. “Oh, I mean co-pilot.”

  
The look on his face however, showed that he did not mean to say co-pilot.

  
///////////

  
“I don’t know how, but the Resistance actually has pretty good grub.” Finn said, taking a bite of a synthetic meat patty.

  
“First Order have bad slop?” Poe questioned, drinking some green drink Rey didn’t recognize.

  
“Terrible.” The once storm trooper nodded, still eating. “No salt, no sauces or anything like that.”  
Poe clicked his tongue and continued eating, and Rey noticed he would occasionally glace at Finn with a slight smile.

  
_Maybe Ben was right._

  
“So how’d you two meet?” Finn asked, pointing his fork at Rey and Ben.

  
“Holonet dating.” Ben answered, earning a snort of amusement from Rey and Poe.

  
“I was a scavenger on Jakku, and one day the most cocky and arrogant man I’ve ever seen made a weapons deal right in front of me.” She said, giving Ben a sly smile.

  
“I was on Jakku and after making a rather discreet weapons deal, I was bombarded with questions by a cute scavenger with three buns in her hair.” Ben gave his version of the story. “She then held a blaster to my head and forced me to make her co-pilot.”

  
Poe and Finn laughed at Ben's retelling of the story, with Rey just shaking her head with an exasperated yet amused look on her face.

  
“Well come on.” Ben motioned to Poe. “Tell me about this.” He then moved his fork between Poe and Finn.  
Poe and Finn exchanged nervous glances, before Poe awkwardly cleared his throat.

  
“Just friends, good friends. Finn is a super cool-”  
Ben held his hand up, stopping Poe. Rey was trying her hardest to keep from laughing.

  
“I just meant the breakout story.”

  
“Oh! Oh.” Poe said, giving a smile and disheveling his hair. “Well basically I got caught by that lunatic in the black robes and double lightsabers. She interrogated me, said some mean things, did some weird force shit, and then left. Finn showed up, set my ass free, and we stole a Tie Fighter.”

  
“What’s it like?” Ben asked, suddenly incredibly excited. “How’s it feel?”

  
Poe smirked and leaned in, lowering his voice. “Ben those things handle so well. The controls are super sensitive, no calibration errors on the blasters, and it stabilizes you mid rotation when doing a 360 turn.”

  
Ben whistled and ran his hand through his hair. “Do you know what series you stole?”

  
They then began to discuss and debate the merits and components of Tie Fighters, accidentally leaving Finn and Rey out of the conversation. Rey knew about flying and ships, yes, but nothing so advanced like First Order Tie Fighters.

  
“You know, I've actually seen Ben before.” Finn said.  
“Really?” she asked. “when?”

  
“About a year or two ago on Tatooine. The First Order recognized his ship as a Resistance smuggling vehicle, and surrounded it, waiting for him to get back.”

  
Finn chuckled and took a sip of his drink.

  
“My squad's captain was so excited to be the one to arrest _the_ Ben Solo. So we waited an hour, then two hours, then three. After five hours he finally showed up, incredibly drunk.”

  
Rey laughed and noticed Ben and Poe were listening too. The way Ben smiled, it seemed he remembered this story.

  
“So my Captain walks up to Ben and says: Mr. Solo, by authority of the First Order you are under arrest for charges of treason and terrorism. How do you answer this?'”

  
“Mind you I was drunk at the time!” Ben interjected, slightly embarrassed at what was coming next.

  
“And this man.” Finn laughed. “This man looked at my Captain and said 'Oh no I'm not a terrorist, I'm a smuggler for the Resistance'.”

  
The table howled with laughter as Ben pretended to sulk.

  
“How did you walk away from that one?” Poe asked Ben.

  
“I’ll tell you how, he punched my Captain in the face, and drunkenly sprinted to his ship before blasting off.” Finn said, wiping a tear from his eye.

  
“Why didn’t you ever tell me this story Ben?” Poe asked, still laughing.

  
“Never came up.” Ben responded, smiling while sipping his water.

  
/////////////////////

  
“It will be a little while before we actually sneak onto Starkiller.” Ben explained to Rey as they walked down the brightly lit halls of the Resistance Base. “So we might have to run a mission or two while we wait.”

  
“I thought time was of the essence?” Rey asked.

  
“It is, but the plan is to steal a First Order transport ship and armor. That’s gonna take time.”

  
She nodded to show that she understood. Finally they reached Ben's door, which Rey insisted he show her.

  
“Honestly it isn’t that much, just a normal room. All of my personal stuff stays on the Falcon.” He said, typing in some numbers on the keypad. The door opened with a hiss.

  
The automatic lights came on, and Rey smiled at a room that was so Ben. Flight manuals were scattered on counters and tables, blue prints for ships and blasters were either hung up on the wall or rolled up in the corner, and tools were scattered all over. It definitely looked like the room of a jury-rigging smuggler.

  
“I didn’t know you could read.” She teased, picking up a flight manual.

  
“Oh I can’t, I look at those for the pictures.” He said, causing her to snort.

  
She walked over to his bed and fell down onto it with a dramatic “huff”. Ben looked at her with amusement, and she padded the empty spot next to her.

  
“No promises I won’t feel you up.”

  
“I'm counting on it.” She replied.

  
He laid down next to her, and turned slightly. Just enough to look down and stare deep into her eyes. Ben ran a free hand over her stomach, sending bolt of electricity through Rey.

  
“I don’t want to rush anything.” He stated, smiling sweetly. This was the first time they ever really addressed their relationship.

  
“We won’t, but I really like you Ben. Like really like you, is that weird?” she asked, stroking his cheek. “You’re just so…easy to get along with. It feels like I’ve known you for a long time.”

  
He took her hand from his cheek and kissed it. “I feel it too.”

  
They stared longingly at each other, silent yet loud, their eyes speaking everything. Rey stared at his lips, which were now moving down towards hers. She _wanted to kiss those lips so badly it hurt_.

  
Before their lips met however, the door hissed open.

  
“Hey Ben, me and Chewie are…” Han began as he walked in, but stopped once he saw them on the bed. A rather flustered Ben and Rey looked up, cheeks red and eyes glaring daggers at the older Smuggler. “You know what? Not important, I'll come back later.”

  
Ben huffed and looked down. “Sorry about that, he can be-”

  
Before he could continue however, Rey smashed her lips with his, allowing a groan to escape her throat.  
The next hour was filled with sweet kisses and pleasant touches until they were forced to attend another strategy meeting.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little making out and sweet touches, nothing too crazy ;)  
> Hope you enjoyed!


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